Mail-catching device.



L. H. LLOYD.

MAIL CATGHING DEVICE.

APPLICATION man N0\!.20. 1916.

Patented June 5, 1917. 2 SHEETS-SHEET :15 co.. #nom-umo" WASHING mu. nc.

L. H. LLOYD.

MAIL CATCHING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED Nov.20.191e. I

1,2Q9J03. Patented June 5,1917.

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I UTE TATE$ PATENT @FFFG.

LEWIS HENRY LLOYD, OF BLOOIVIINGTON, ILLINOIS.

IVIAIL-CATCI-IING DEVICE.

Application filed November 20, 1916.

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, LEWIS HENRY LLOYD, a citizen of the United States,residing at Bloomington, in the county of McLean and State of Illinois,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Mail-CatchingDevices; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, andexact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilledin the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

The present invention relates to improvements in mail catching devices,and has for an object to provide improved means both for delivering mailbags from moving railway cars at stations and for receiving mail bags bythe cars while passing stations at a high rate of speed.

My invention aims to simplify and improve on devices as now in generaluse for the above described purposes, and proposes an improved mailcatching device which will be of a more'durable construction, bettercalculated to withstand the shocks and jars imposed on the various partswhich are necessarily incidental to the transfer of heavy mail bags toand from rapidly moving trains.

With these and other objects in view the invention consists in the noveldetails of construction and combinations of parts more fully hereinafterdisclosed and particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings forming a part of this application, and inwhich similar reference symbolsindicate corre sponding parts in theseveral views:

Figure l is a side elevational view of a mail catching deviceconstructed in accordance with the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a top plan view thereof.

F ig. 3 is a fragmentary sectional view of a railway mail car showing myimproved catching device as applied thereto.

Fig. 4 is a horizontal sectional view of the car with the mail catchingdevice illustrated in top plan.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged bottom plan view of the catching device; and

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the detached mail bag gripping jaws.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, 1 designates a mail bag,which is being carried by a moving train, and 2 a mail Specification ofLetters Patent.

Patented June 5, 1917.

Serial 1\To.'132,'405.

bag which is supported at a station in readiness to be received by thepassing train.

The mail bag 1 is supported in the manner shown in Figs. 1 and 2 in ahead 3, which is attached to, or formed with, a hollow sleeve 4 fittedover a rod 5 and secured thereto as by set screws 6, through which itmay be readily detached therefrom.

The rod 5 has its inner end passing through the door 7 of a railway mailcar 8, as shown more particularly in Figs. 3 and a, where it issupported on a vertically extending shaft 9. In Fig. 3 there is shown asocket 10 to one side of the door 7, and in Fig. a a second socket 11 inthe floor of the car to the opposite side of the door 7, both of whichsockets are provided to receive the lower end of the vertical shaft 9,accordingly as it is desirable or convenient to place the device at oneside or the other of said door 7.

As illustrated in Fig. 3, there are pivoted bearings 12 above eachsocket 10 and 11 in which the upper end of the vertical shaft 9 isjournaled, and which is elongated to provide a clearance space 13,permitting the shaft 9 to be raised sufficiently to detach the lower endfrom the socket 10 or 11. This forms a convenient means for detachablyjournaling the shaft 9, and it will be readily understood that the samemay be transferred without difficulty from one to the other side of thedoor 7, or be demounted from the car entirely.

On the sleeve 1 is an eye-bolt, or a screw eye, 1%, in which is attacheda ring 15 connected to a rod 16, which extends into the car and isadapted to be grasped by the mail clerk to swing the head 3 in and outof the door 7.

The head 3 is preferably formed of a single casting providing forwardand rearward flaring months 17 and 18, with enlarged outer ends toreadily receive a mail bag, and having their sides formed with in wardlyextending teeth 19 and 20. These teeth, as advantageously disclosed inFig. 5, do notoppose the entrance of the mail bag within the mouths l7and 18, but are extended in such a direction that, when the bag is oncein, it will not be apt to dislodge itself therefrom.

Associated with the mouth 17 are a pair of movable jaws 21 and 22pivoted on the under side of the head, as indicated at 23 and 24, theyhaving rearwardly extending arms 25 and 26 to which are connected thelinks 27 and28 of a toggle joint jointed centrally at 29. The jaws 21and 22 are supplied with prongs 30 and 31 for enabling a better grasp onthe mail bag, and with .handles 32 and 33 for manually opening said jawsafter they receive a mail bag.

Similarly, the rearward mouth 18 also has a pair of jaws 34 and 35having prongs as shown at 36 and 37, and handles at 38 and 39; said jaws34 and 35 being pivoted at 40 and 41 to the sides of the mouth, andhaving arms 42 and 43 connected by the links 44 and 45 of a toggle jointjoined centrally at 46.

The jaws 21 and 22 are shown closed, while the jaws 34 and 35 are in theopen position prepared to receive the mail bag. lVhen the jaws are fullyclosed, as they are shown to be at 21 and 22, the links 27 and 28 of theassociated toggle joint are in alinement and are held against furthermovement by stops 47 and 48, so that said toggle joint forms aneffective lock for preventing the jaws 21 and 22 from being accidentallyopened. There are similar stops 49 and 50 against which the links 44 and45 of the other toggle joint are adapted to abut.

One set of jaws, such as 21 and 22, are shown in perspective in Fig. 6,where there are illustrated lugs 51 and 52 formed on the links 27 and28,0f the toggle joint near the central pivot 29; these lugs having fortheir function to prevent the jaws 21 and 22 from being opened widerthan the jaws 34 and 35 shown in Fig. 5.

At the station, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, are a pair of elevated rails53 and 54 running substantially parallel with the railway, and on theserails 53 and 54 is supported a carriage 55 mounted on wheels 56 havingrollers 57 carried in hangers 58 from the carriage, and operatingbeneath the rails 53 and 54 to prevent the likelihood of the car riageleaving the rails. This carriage 55 is adapted to travel back and forthon the rails 54 freely, but is brought to a gradual stop at each end bysprings 59 attached to the lower sides of the rails, as at 60, andhaving their free ends engaging beneath and carrying compressible blocks61, of rubber or other suitable material. These spring devices areengaged by the rollers 57 and have the efiect of binding on the same soas to bring the carriage 55 to a stop at the ends of the track.

The carriage 55 is provided with a forward mouth 62 and a rearward mouth63 formed flaring and provided with teeth 64 and 65, and being in otherrespects complemental to the mouths 17 and 18 on the head 3 supportedfrom the railway car.

Comparing Figs. 1 and 2, it will be seen that the head 3 on the railwaycar passes directly above the carriage 55, and is adapted to deliver themail sack 1 into the mouth 63 thereof. V] hen receiving'the sack 1 thecar riage 55 is in the position shown in Figs. 1 and 2, and the momentumof such sack operates to cause said carriage to travel along the rails53 and 54 a proportionate distance; and if the train from which the bagis received is traveling at a higher rate of speed, the carriage 55 willreceive a proportionate speed from the mail bag 1, which 7 will beretarded by the spring devices 59 at the opposite end of the rails 53and 54, and which will finally bring the carriage 55 to a stop. The mailbag received in the mouth 63 may be then removed.

The mail bag 1 is placed in the rearward mouth 18 of the head 3, withits upper enlarged end engaged by the prongs 36 and 37 of the jaws 34and 35. The jaws are, however, only partially closed, so that the togglejoints 44 and 45 will be prevented from looking. This is clearlyindicated in Fig. 2. In this position the mail bag depends, and whenapproaching a station will be re ceived between the rails 53 and 54,bringing its central reduced portion in the mouth 63 of the carriage 55.The carriage being at rest when the mail bag 1 strikes the same, theimpact will open the jaws 34 and 35 to release the same. In moving intothe mouth 63 of the carriage 55, the mail bag 1 will strike the center66 of the toggle links 67 and 68, which will swing the pronged jaws 69and 70 into the mouth 63 to thereby grip the bag. The bag will thus beeffectively held within the carriage 55 until the station agent manuallymoves such jaws 69 and 70 to release the same.

At each end of the track are standards 71 and 72 having each arms 73 and74 with oppositely turned ends 75 and 76 for receiving eyes '77 and 78on the mail bag 2 which is to be delivered to the passing train. The bagis supported in such a position that the central reduced portion thereofwill be received into the forward mouth 17 in the head 3, and when soreceived therein will strike the center 29 of the toggle joint formed bythe links 27 and 28, thus moving the jaws 21 and 22 to close about thebag and firmly hold it until the clerk within the car draws the catchingdevice in through the door 7 by means of the rod 16 and manually opensthe jaws to release the bag. After the bag has been removed, the deviceis again revolved about the shaft 9 and extended on the outside of thecar in the position shown in Figs. .3 and 4, where it is in readiness toreceive a bag at the next station.

The mouth 62 on the carriage 55 is also provided with similar pivotedjaws 9 and 80 having a toggle joint 81, 82, connected thereto, andoperating in a manner which will now be well understood. This mouth 62is for receiving mail bags from trains running in the opposite directionto that shown by the arrows in Figs. 1 and 2, and in such case thecarriage is initially placed at the opposite end of the rails 58 and 54.

It will, of course, be appreciated that, while I have shown theapparatus as employed to catch and deliver but a single sack, a numberof sacks may be transferred by the device without altering theoperation.

From the foregoing description the construction and operation of myimproved mail catching device will be readily understood by thoseskilled in the art, and I desire it to be understood that I do not wishto be limited to details of construction, as various changes may be madein the combinations and arrangements of parts without departing from thespirit of my invention. 1

I claim:

1. In a device of the character described, the combination of a fixedsupport for carrying a bag, a catching device carried by the train andincluding a head having a mouth for receiving the bag, inwardly inclinedteeth in said mouth, a pair of pronged jaws for grabbing the bag andholding the same in said mouth, and a toggle joint for automaticallyoperating said jaws to grasp the bag and for locking the jaws in closedposition, substantially as described.

2. In a device of the character described, the combination of a fixedsupport for carrying a bag, a bag catching device adapted to be mountedon the train and including a head having a flaring mouth for receivingthe bag, a pair of pivoted jaws for grasping the bag and holding it insaid mouth, a pair of links connecting said jaws and pivoted together toconstitute a toggle, stops for holding said toggle with the pivots inalinement whereby to lock the jaws in closed position, and other stopsfor limiting the outward movement of said jaws, substantially asdescribed.

3. In a device of the character described, the combination with means onthe railway car for holding the mail bag, of a track runninglongitudinally of the railway, a carriage supported to move on saidtrack and having a flaring mouth for receiving the mail bag from themoving car, a pair of movable jaws in said mouth for grasping the mailbag, and a toggle joint for operating said jaws to close upon the mailbag, substantially as described.

1. In a device of the character described, the combination with means onthe car for holding the mail bag, a track disposed longitudinally of therailway, a carriage traveling on said track and having a mouth forreceiving the mail bag from said car, a pair of pivoted jaws in saidmouth for closing about and grasping the mail bag, a toggle joint forconnecting said jaws and adapted to automatically close the same whenstruck by the mail bag, and stops for limiting the movement of saidtoggle joint and holding the same in a position to lock the jaws closed,substantially as described.

5. In a device of the character described, the combination with means onthe car for holding the mail bag, -a track disposed longitudinally ofthe railway, a carriage traveling on said track and having a mouth forreceiving the mail bag from said car, a pair of pivoted jaws in saidmouth for closing about and grasping the mail bag, a toggle joint forconnecting said jaws and adapted to automatically close the same whenstruck by the mail bag, stops for limiting the movement of said togglejoint and holding the same in a position to lock the jaws closed, andother stops for limiting the opening movement of said jaws,substantially as described.

6. In a device of the character described, the combination of means on arailway car for supporting a mail bag, a track disposed longitudinallyof the railway, a carriage traveling on said track and having a mouthfor receiving the mail bag from said means, movable jaws in said mouthfor grasping the bag when received; and springs encoun-' tered by thecarriage for stopping the same, substantially as described.

7 In a device of the character described, the combination of means on arailway car for supporting a mail bag, a track disposed longitudinallyof the railway, a carriage traveling on said track and having a mouthfor receiving the mail bag from said means, movable jaws in said mouthfor grasping the bag when received, springs having one end each attachedbeneath said track, compressible blocks carried by the free ends of saidsprings, and rollers on said carriage for engaging said springs to stopthe carriage, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof, I afliX my signature.

LEWIS HENRY LLOYD.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, I). G.

